Harvard and Yale are playing the latest matchup in one of college football’s most historic rivalries on Saturday afternoon. The two sides met up on the Bulldogs’ campus for their 136th meeting of all time, and while a whole lot has happened when these universities have squared off on the gridiron, we saw something new this time around.
The 4-5 Crimson went into the locker room with a 15-3 lead over Yale, which sits at 8-1 on the season. Once this happened, a protest involving a number of folks from Harvard and Yale stormed the field and sat at the 50-yard line. The event was the convergence of two groups, Divest Harvard and Fossil Free Yale, sitting at midfield as part of a climate change protest.
Students of @DivestHarvard & @FossilFreeYale have rushed the field to disrupt the #HarvardYale game.
They are calling for the universities to divest from fossil fuels and to stop contributing to the planet's destruction. 🌍#NobodyWins pic.twitter.com/I5K3EV5mmD
— Minh Ngo (@minhtngo) November 23, 2019
The Harvard-Yale football game has been delayed due to students protesting climate change in the middle of the field. pic.twitter.com/uY9Kc3Mn32
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 23, 2019
Both Divest Harvard and Fossil Free Yale explained via their Twitter accounts that the intent of this protest was to demand that both of their universities divest in fossil fuels and cancel holdings in Puerto Rico’s debt.
BREAKING: Over 150 Yale + Harvard students, alumni, faculty stormed the field at #HarvardYale to demand DIVESTMENT from fossil fuels & cancel holdings in Puerto Rican debt. When it comes to the status quo, #NobodyWins. @YaleEJC @FossilFreeYale @DivestHarvard pic.twitter.com/lZAcAxxmYw
— Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard 🔶 (@DivestHarvard) November 23, 2019
Fans are FLOODING from the stands onto the field to join the students and alumni sitting in. Banners read "#NobodyWins Harvard and Yale are Complicit in Climate Injustice" @YaleEJC @FossilFreeYale @DivestHarvard
— Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard 🔶 (@DivestHarvard) November 23, 2019
Amazing moment showing all 4 banners taking over the #HarvardYale field. Yale and Harvard are complicit. We are united for climate justice and to end the exploitation of Puerto Rico. #NobodyWins https://t.co/TS5AtIT1MT
— Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard 🔶 (@DivestHarvard) November 23, 2019
That's right! We're disrupting The Game because we know that #NobodyWins when our universities profit from destruction and extraction. We ar Demanding #HarvardYale to divest from fossil fuels and cancel their holdings in Puerto Rican debt. https://t.co/ERFWhvUQDX
— Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard 🔶 (@DivestHarvard) November 23, 2019
BREAKING: Over 150 Yale + Harvard students, alumni, faculty stormed the field at #HarvardYale to demand DIVESTMENT from fossil fuels & cancel holdings in Puerto Rican debt. When it comes to the status quo, #NobodyWins. @YaleEJC @FossilFreeYale @DivestHarvard pic.twitter.com/v6zKKcCiG7
— Fossil Free Yale (@FossilFreeYale) November 23, 2019
"CANCEL THE DEBT!" Hundreds of fans chant in support of the students' action. It's time to call out our universities. It's time to cancel our holdings in Puerto Rican debt. No more profiteering off of colonialism. #NobodyWins https://t.co/nupVZmXIFw
— Fossil Free Yale (@FossilFreeYale) November 23, 2019
That's right! We're disrupting The Game because we know that #NobodyWins when our universities profit from destruction and extraction. We ar Demanding #HarvardYale to divest from fossil fuels and cancel their holdings in Puerto Rican debt. https://t.co/bxiz65k04M
— Fossil Free Yale (@FossilFreeYale) November 23, 2019
In a video recorded before the game, Harvard football captain Wesley Ogsbury expressed his support for those protesting
Statement from Wesley Ogsbury, captain of the Harvard Crimson, on today's #NobodyWins disruption by us and @FossilFreeYale: pic.twitter.com/tDjAdR7TTy
— Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard 🔶 (@DivestHarvard) November 23, 2019
The protest led to the game being delayed out of the half, and those who took to the field were eventually arrested. Following a longer halftime than usual, the teams returned to the field, and Harvard kicked off to Yale to begin the second half.
